


For when all is done and sleep won't come...

by ThatWeirdFangirl



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Concussions, Cuddling, Exhaustion, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic, smol beans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-09 23:39:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8918104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatWeirdFangirl/pseuds/ThatWeirdFangirl
Summary: He was so exhausted; his inner demons allow him no rest. Can he play another concert in such a state? (Or the one where one smol bean gets a concussion from his lack of sleep and the other takes care his best fren.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> So this might be a weird one.
> 
> I've had two concussions in the past week and I'm so bored. So here you go. 
> 
> Not beta'd. Any mistakes are mine. Please let me know if any overwhelming errors. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! I'm also taking requests for fics, if you have anything you want to see. (Please send me comments and messages. I need distractions.)
> 
> Also, Happy Holidays to everyone!

He was tired. No, he was beyond tired. A dull ache lingered over his body, attacking his neck, back, and head; his mouth was bitter and dry with the taste of the coffee that he had downed a few hours earlier. Even the coffee had stopped keeping him awake; it only made his heart beat faster, made the blood rush through his veins a bit quicker, adding to the throbbing, dull ache in his head. 

He couldn't blame all of it on touring; sure, the tour left him both full of energy and exhausted at the same time, but sometimes even the post-show rush was not enough to block out the all-consuming thoughts that kept him awake at night, staring at the ceiling of his bunk, frozen in place and unable to breathe. 

Performing was a release in a way; he could put on a mask, a persona, and forget about everything for a few hours; but in the silence of the night, with only the muffled sound of the highway around him, everything that was left unspoken was deafening; it screamed at him, wanting to be heard, and he could not deny its fancy. 

His head hurt. 

Sleeping pills didn't work. Exhausting himself with his work did not help. His friends saw nothing wrong and he did not want them to worry. 

He was fine. 

He was not fine. 

He was dizzy. He had downed more caffeine as they prepped at soundcheck, vowing to push through with only water from here on out. His heart was beating so fast, and a nice numbness had settled over his limbs. He felt drunk, dazed, and it was almost nice. 

Almost. He couldn't seem to focus. His brown eyes were glazed over when his bandmate looked at him questioningly in the dressing room. 

"Are you okay?" His friend asked for what appeared on his face to be not the first time. 

"Yeah, just a bit tired is all." He responded and he took another swig from his water, grimacing. The taste in his mouth was weird. He set the bottle down and closed his eyes for a few moments. 

***

The show was going well. The crowd was full of energy. The drummer drummed and the singer sang. Tyler climbed up the booms, much to the sound engineer's dismay, and Josh did his backflip. They performed as if nothing were wrong. 

Until they only had two songs left. 

Tyler basked in the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he bounced and jumped. He felt alive. He climbed up onto the sound equipment again, the highest he'd gone that night. His smile was so large as he looked out on the crowd, then back at his drummer boy, his best friend, who was keeping time with his antics. 

Then the drum beat stopped. The bass line still played, but the fans looked around in confusion, then they were screaming, pointing. Tyler frantically looked around for the problem, his eyes first landing on Josh. 

No. 

Josh was slumped over his drum set, his body limp, his head bleeding. 

Tyler came down as fast as he could, desperate to get to his best friend.

***

Josh felt sick as he opened his eyes. The world felt tilted, and it spun before his eyes. He was already tired. The light around him was too bright, and the sounds of beeping felt like a knife in his head. He tried to plug his ears with his fingers, but he couldn't move his arms. He groaned in frustration and closed his eyes again. He let himself float back into the void of exhaustion. 

***

Josh, while also being diagnosed with severe exhaustion, was declared to have a concussion from the hit to his head when he fell, and Tyler was declared his caretaker. Thankfully, they had a month-long break before the tour started.

Currently, Josh sat on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. He was banned from anything with a screen. He wasn't even allowed to read regular books, out of the chance that it would lengthen his recovery time. He was tired even more than before, but now he could sleep even less. The concussion-induced insomnia was a pain in the ass. 

"Why don't you go lay down?" Tyler suggested as he draped a blanket around Josh's shoulders. 

Josh pulled it tight around his body and buried his face in the sofa, hoping to find some respite in the darkness. 

"C'mon Joshie. Jish. Jishwa." Tyler's fingers prodded at Josh's shoulders, at his neck. Then they were ruffling his red curls. His scalp was sore, but it felt good. He couldn't help but smile slightly. He rolled back over, grabbing Tyler's arm and pulling him on top of him. Tyler came willingly, but the movement made him dizzy, and he gripped onto his shoulders to steady himself. 

They stayed like that, Tyler resting his head on Josh's chest, their bodies pressed together on the cramped couch. Only their clothes and a soft blanket separated them. The silence was comfortable. 

"Are you okay, Josh?" Tyler murmured. "You look so tired these days. Sometimes you get this look on your face, and it reminds me of me when...you know."

"Yeah Ty. I know." Josh murmured. "I just...haven't been sleeping well." He said nothing else, but Tyler understood the subtext, the underlying explanation of why sleep would not come. He'd been there more times than he cared to think about. 

"C'mon Jishwa," Tyler whispered as he rolled off of Josh and helped the man to his feet. "We're going to bed." Josh sighed, but went willingly. 

They moved slowly up the stairs as the world shifted under Josh's feet. Tyler grounded him, led him to his bed and helped him out of his clothes. There was nothing sexual about the action; they were just best friends, just removing clothes. Once Josh was stripped down to his boxers, he led the man to the bathroom, allowing him to do his business while he removed his own clothes. Josh returned, his breath smelling of minty toothpaste, his almond eyes drooping. 

Tyler lay on the bed, watching Josh for a moment before opening his arms. "Come cuddle me, bro." 

Josh managed a smile as he crawled under the covers and let Tyler's warm arms wrap around him. The world was spinning again, yet Tyler made it more manageable, his touch grounding, his soft, soothing coos pleasant, and his fingers softly stroking red curls comforting. Josh felt safe, even from himself. Tyler was so bright; he could chase away even the darkest demons. He snuggled closer on Tyler's bare chest, his head resting just under Tyler's chin. 

Warm hands ran up and down his back, the slow strokes in time with his breathing. He felt his eyelids growing heavy. 

"Thank you Ty. I love you." Josh slurred. 

"I love you too, Jishwa. Now go to sleep. I'll be here in the morning."


End file.
